By Leah Douglas and Tom Polansek
- The Trump administration dismissed personnel involved in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s avian influenza response as part of extensive layoffs within the Department of Health and Human Services, reported the American Veterinary Medical Association along with an insider privy to these events.
The layoffs on Tuesday affected numerous staff members who discovered this when trying to enter their respective offices but were turned away. These dismissals form part of the administration’s strategy to reduce the size of the federal government.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has stated that he plans to dismiss 10,000 employees from the various departments within the health ministry.
According to the source, among those let go were leaders and administrative personnel from the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine.
The FDA did not reply to requests for comments.
A worker from the Center for Veterinary Medicine mentioned that nearly all individuals within the administrative team have been let go, as well as those working in policy, legal services, and external communication departments.
The manager positions were also phased out at the center's directorate, according to an employee who was involved in a recent voluntary separation initiative aimed at decreasing the number of government staff.
President Sandra Fahey of the American Veterinary Medical Association has stated that they aim to collaborate with the U.S. Congress and the administration to reinstate crucial roles that were removed from the health department. According to her, budget reductions impacted divisions handling avian influenza, as well as the safety of both animal and human food products among other areas.
The FDA center’s Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network conducts testing on pet food for avian influenza. Following the detection of bird flu contamination which led to fatalities among household cats, the FDA has initiated recalls of certain raw pet foods.
The laboratory program office informed employees via an email sent on Tuesday that layoffs at the facility might result in considerable difficulties and postponements, as reported by https://myshowcasegosell.blogspot.com/ after viewing the message.
Although the personnel in the laboratory network have retained their positions, the removal of leadership and administrative staff will cause its operations to cease, according to a source.
Kristy Pabilonia, who serves as the executive director of clinical diagnostics at Colorado State University's Veterinary Health System, mentioned that she depends on the center to handle reports of feline infections potentially connected to pet food.
She mentioned that it worries her deeply, knowing there’s a possibility she might not have anyone to report to anymore.
The reductions are expected to considerably interfere with the development of facilities aimed at testing for avian influenza among aged artisanal raw milk cheeses, according to Keith Poulsen, a veterinarian and director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, who has participated in this initiative.
Health authorities have cautioned against consuming unpasteurized milk due to the risk of avian influenza, as nearly a thousand US dairy cow herds have contracted the virus within the last year. Kennedy supports the use of raw milk.
Poulsen mentioned that coordinating bird flu tests through the national laboratory network is essential for monitoring and controlling the virus’s dissemination.
"You chop off the head of the leadership, and now we have to reinvent that wheel. That's not in our best interest," he said.
The avian influenza has led to the death of almost 170 million chickens, turkeys, and other poultry as part of an ongoing epidemic that started in 2022; this situation has caused egg prices to reach record peaks. However, over the past few weeks, these prices have slightly decreased due to a decline in fresh cases along with higher import levels.
(Reported by Leah Douglas and Tom Polansek; Edited by Emily Schmall, Bill Berkrot, Rosalba O'Brien, and Sandra Maler)